Humanity's Last Chance (Revised)
by Knife Hand
Summary: An extended version of Humanity's Last Chance. Post 3I. Asuka and Shinji. more to come. R


Humanity's Last Chance (Revised)  
  
This is a Shinji & Asuka fic set post 3I beginning where EoE finishes. I do not own Evangelion so don't sue (I have no money). This idea came to me when I saw EoE and I wonder what would happen next. Enjoy!  
  
I would like to thank SXStrngSamurai13, Seif412 and all the other reviewers for their comments.  
  
  
  
Helping Asuka to her feet, while being careful of her injuries, Shinji guided her away from the ocean of LCL. A few hours later they settled for the night in a grocery store, making a fire out of furniture that Shinji broke up. After eating, and practically feeding Asuka, Shinji sat down to think. Rei had given him a choice, to live, but to then have to endure The Loneliness in his heart, or to join Instrumentality, becoming one with humanity and avoid The Loneliness. Shinji had rejected the offer of Third Impact and had returned from the sea of LCL to life. For some reason Asuka had followed him back.  
  
"They're not coming back." Asuka said, snapping Shinji out of his thoughts.  
  
"I doubt that many Nerv personnel would come back." Shinji replied.  
  
"No. I meant no-one is coming back."  
  
Shinji looked at Asuka as if she was insane.  
  
"The whole of humanity heard the offer you were made. Everyone accepted Third Impact, except you and me."  
  
"Why didn't you?" he asked.  
  
"I came back for you." She replied.  
  
"WHAT?!?"  
  
"I love you, Shinji. I was just too proud and scared to admit it." Asuka whispered.  
  
"I love you too." Shinji whispered back.  
  
That night they fell asleep in each other's arms, and for the first time, Asuka felt contentment. In the morning they packed supplies from the grocery store into a car that was parked nearby and drove out of what remained of Tokyo 3. They drove over most of Japan in the next few days, trying hard to forget what had happened at Tokyo 3, alternating at the wheel in a vain attempt to outrun the past. One day they arrived at a costal city, intact but deserted of people like everywhere else. At the marina, they found a large yacht, and they decided that they had to leave Japan, as the country held to many painful memories. Spending the night on board the yacht, they felt the urge to set sail, so when morning came they boarded the yacht with as many supplies as they could. They finally set sail for wherever the wind took them; as long as they were together they did not care.  
  
  
  
Morning came quickly on the open ocean. Their first day at sea they had learned the workings of the yacht. Navigation was simple, the yacht had GPS and the GPS satellites were automated, and compared to piloting the Evangelions the luxury yacht with its automated systems was simple to control. They enjoyed the freedom that the open ocean brings so the slowly made their south-southwest down the Pacific Ocean, after a few weeks they passed through the Bashi Channel (between the Philippines and Taiwan) into the South China Sea. After another few weeks they passed into the Gulf of Siam and landed in what used to be Cambodia. After almost two months at sea, Shinji and Asuka were now tanned and had built up muscles from the physical work of sailing the yacht. At first they had found the serenity of life at sea peaceful however their painful memories were catching up with them. As they tied up the yacht in a harbor, Shinji pulled the last rigging rope tight, dropped anchor and pulled on a shirt. Asuka packed the last of their supplies and their clothing and brought them out to the rowboat for their trip to shore. Shinji rowed quickly and smoothly to shore, tying the rowboat up at the small pier of the fishing village.  
  
"This will do for the night." Shinji said pointing at one of the houses.  
  
Asuka nodded in agreement. That night they lay asleep in each other's arms, that was usually enough to ward off the nightmares, but they came and Shinji could do nothing to stop them.  
  
  
  
(Dream sequence)  
  
Shinji was floating beside the yacht (anchored near the corral island where Asuka had taught him to swim). Shinji recognized it was a dream, but that recognition quickly faded. Asuka swam over beside him, however instead of helping him to swim, she pushed him under. As he though he was going to die he heard a laugh, but not Asuka's laugh, a cold, mean, male laugh. The laugh of his father. Then the scene changed. He was being held in the hand of a menacing looking Unit 01.  
  
"Mother." he whispered.  
  
Unit 01 then turned into a giant version of his father, grinning down at him.  
  
"You disappoint me, Shinji."  
  
The sequence continued with each person he knew being replaced by another (with the exception of Asuka), all the size of Unit 01, and all clutching him in their fist. Each made comments about how he had failed them, or disappointed them. The two that hurt him the most came last. They hurt him the most because he loved and trusted them almost as much as he did Asuka.  
  
"I thought you loved me, why did you reject me?" said a distraught Rei.  
  
"I died for you. Now the human race will end with your death. What a waste." Said an angry Kaworu.  
  
(End dream sequence)  
  
  
  
Shinji woke up with a start, looking across at Asuka sleeping peacefully next to him. Suddenly the full impact of Kaworu's words hit home. Asuka and himself were the last humans, the end of a species (or their children would be if they ever had any). Maybe it wasn't just the past they were running from, maybe it was the future, as well.  
  
"But I have Asuka, and that is enough, for tonight at least." he whispered.  
  
Shinji snuggled up next to Asuka, hugged her and fell into sleep untroubled by dreams, for now.  
  
  
  
What does everyone think? R&R please. Flames are not appreciated. Any constructive criticism is accepted as this is my first fic. Working on the next chapter. :) 


End file.
